New Emerald carbon fiber ABG - impressive!

[pcake]

it is gorgeous, and hopefully it will sound great. i've played several emerald acoustic guitars, and every one i played had less bass than other carbon fiber guitars. plugged in could be better, but i never did plug one in. that's why i ended up with a pre-peavy composite acoustics, although the blackbird rider sounds great in person, too.

 

[Justice Graves]

I've jonesed for a XB-34 for a few years now. I love graphite necks and graphite/carbon fiber picks so why not take the next step and graphite/carbon fiber the whole thing. The only turn off for me is the thumb rest/ramp, I play with a pick with a heavy hand that ramp can and will get in my way. So this big body version being flat faced is a huge plus and it sounds awesome. Would be super pumped to get any first hand impressions on any of their basses, especially the ABG's though.

 

[bassfacer22]

I'm really confused here guys.. What is the purpose of getting this? for travel reasons? It looks like a fat, has pigged out on Burgers and beer, acoustic electric bass that will sound and does sound really middy and no low end bottom fat bass (because of carbonfiber acoustics) which I thought was the point of bass?

Just help clear it up for me please..

(coming from the guy who owns a CarbonFiber Upright bass.. ha..)

forgive me but I won't post any more to waste yall's time after this vid.. ha.

Isn't this how an acoustic bass should sound?

Jump to time 2:50 if the video doesn't automatically..

 

[Honch]

I'd wish since Rainsong has this huge and very loud Jumbo acoustic guitar, that they (EMERALD OR OTHER) would manufacture a full upright bass made out of CF with that amount of volume displayed. Only then it would be something to write home about. Something is very wrong when you have to equip AGB's with pickups and still plug them in to make any sound that cuts through.

Although I never doubt that Emeralds manufacturing of CF AGB's is a step in the right direction, I doubt that they ever will produce low notes, especially fundamentals, at the same loud levels as regular guitars or upright basses. Since your love for AGBs contradict mine - not hatred really, but dislike and "what's the point", it's kind of moot to turn this thread into some AGB slagging. I have yet to try any AGB that holds up the bass, and that's neutrally and objectively speaking and leaves no room for interpretation. My personal thing is that I don't like any guitars (regular) protruding out from the body as much as a AGB needs to be, and such a large body. You may hear something low on the A-string only, but below that, it's impossible and you will only hear third or fourth harmonics acoustically. If you have to plug them in, you'll hear everything alright, but you can do that with a solid body bass too, and even better. On top of this, when you plug in AGBs you have to turn them down in volume, because they'll feed back sooner than anything else. Plus, if you try to EQ this out, the resulting sound when whatever feedback is bucked is pretty lame and poor and thin.

There's a reason electric basses came around in the first place.

It's still (the AGB) the only instrument I know of, that is an acoustic copy of an electric instrument, that is an electric copy of an acoustic instrument (upright). Still beats me, still dumbfounds me after all these years. Maybe if was kept in the baritone range, I would've been less condemning about it.

EDIT: Bassfacer22 for president.

 

[Honch]

I've found three videos of the prototype so far, all are being played with bronze ABG strings but I've been assured they have tested the bass with LaBella tapes, too:

Those crappy, all YT videos of any acoustic instrument really, still tells us nothing. Unless they are playing together with other acoustic instruments, in an ensemble playing, they're pretty worthless to ... not me, but anyone. Nothing in those three videos wets my appetite, or for trying them out even. Still, the have to be miced up. Acoustic instrument can only be validated and judge by hearing them IRL, period. It's like you're going to have a test of : bass subwoofers, ear phones, on YT and listen to them in your computer speakers or other speakers and tell us "Hear here, listen how damm good they sound!!!".

 

[Honch]

I like theyr monocoque electrics though. That's where it's at.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Very cool! I called it - here:
Journey Instruments Introduces Collapsible Carbon Fiber Acoustic Bass Guitar

I'd rather see something like this but full-scale and ginormous, like the Rigel. Ya know, have your Babel Tower wedding cake and being able to carry it around too.

- and another company has made it! Well, kinda: I would've gone bigger still, and a removable neck is not a bad idea...

 

[Bassist Jay]

I'm note sure how much those acoustic basses are going to sell for but from the looks of them, I like them and if they were within my budget, I would consider buying one.

 

[obimark]

Why? It sounds more or less like an electric bass, what's the use? Acoustic low volume jams? I never quite got acoustic bass guitars like this.( I am not talking about standup basses).

 

[pudgychef]

Dibs on the Tacoma you dispatch!

Hope these are cool. Like that solid body too...

 

[Justice Graves]

Isn't this how an acoustic bass should sound?

To answer this one question...to me no, this is the tone I prefer with my ABG...but it may just be me.

 

[40Hz]

And here I thought my El Capitan was big. That is some huge piece of carbon! You could land jets on that neck.

I hope they go with a Shadow pickup and matching pre for it. That's the finest sounding combo I've ever heard for an ABG.

Love to try their fretless 4-string model going through a B-15N. But with the shops in my area, "that is so not gonna happen" as one of my client's 5-year old daughter so aptly put it.

 

[FrankLowend]

In this area I had one Cort Curbow about ten years ago...
I'm not sure about what cold be my impressions today since my arsenal is better today than that times, but the bass itself was very versatile and even beauty, I really don't know if due the Bartolinni pickup or for some influence of the luthite body.
Have someone here had tried one of this?
Please don't talk about the need to use a strap to play seated...everybody knows that!

 

[Herrick]

Looks massive. They must be trying to coax more volume and/or low end out of it. I'd be a shame if it sounds like just another wimpy acoustic bass. I haven't heard those sound clips yet.

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

WANT!!!!! That thing sounds amazing on my computer (IRL will have too wait for the bank account to absorb about $3000). I'll be visiting Ireland and Scotland in October so I'll have to drop them a line and see if I can come over. If I do there will be a report on this thread.

 

[GBassNorth]

I'd wish since Rainsong has this huge and very loud Jumbo acoustic guitar, that they (EMERALD OR OTHER) would manufacture a full upright bass made out of CF with that amount of volume displayed. Only then it would be something to write home about. Something is very wrong when you have to equip AGB's with pickups and still plug them in to make any sound that cuts through.

Although I never doubt that Emeralds manufacturing of CF AGB's is a step in the right direction, I doubt that they ever will produce low notes, especially fundamentals, at the same loud levels as regular guitars or upright basses. Since your love for AGBs contradict mine - not hatred really, but dislike and "what's the point", it's kind of moot to turn this thread into some AGB slagging. I have yet to try any AGB that holds up the bass, and that's neutrally and objectively speaking and leaves no room for interpretation. My personal thing is that I don't like any guitars (regular) protruding out from the body as much as a AGB needs to be, and such a large body. You may hear something low on the A-string only, but below that, it's impossible and you will only hear third or fourth harmonics acoustically. If you have to plug them in, you'll hear everything alright, but you can do that with a solid body bass too, and even better. On top of this, when you plug in AGBs you have to turn them down in volume, because they'll feed back sooner than anything else. Plus, if you try to EQ this out, the resulting sound when whatever feedback is bucked is pretty lame and poor and thin.

There's a reason electric basses came around in the first place.

It's still (the AGB) the only instrument I know of, that is an acoustic copy of an electric instrument, that is an electric copy of an acoustic instrument (upright). Still beats me, still dumbfounds me after all these years. Maybe if was kept in the baritone range, I would've been less condemning about it.

EDIT: Bassfacer22 for president.

Not necessarily disagreeing with you but realistically speaking, every acoustic gig I've been in had a mic for the singer, a mic for the acoustic lead guitar and rhythm guitar and in some cases even a mic for the drummer. If the bass player brought an upright it usually had pickups and was amped or it was mic'd as well. If the bass player brought an AEB guitar it was amped or mic'd. And unless the keyboard player brought his own baby grand piano the keyboards were amped as well.
Take a look at any MTV "Unplugged" performance where acoustic instruments are featured and you'll see an abundance of mics and chords, not exactly your typical campfire acoustic setting...


So what's the big deal with this bass, doesn't seem any different than the others except the body might be bigger (and hopefully better tone, but yet to be seen) and it's made from graphite which is a fantastic material for the gigging artist where indoor/outdoor and travel challenges exist.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this offering and would love to have one on loan for about a month to compare to my Rainsong graphite AEB. Here's an MTV Unplugged video of Hootie and the Blowfish with a Rainsong AEB. No lack of bass in that recording, and yes it's plugged in along with every other guitar on stage...



BTW: Honch for VP!

 

[ehque]

Emerald is very high on my list.

Have a CA Cargo but they don't make that any more. Also have 2 Zons and a Basslab on the way. Every instrument has carbon fiber in it.

What I like about Emerald is the relatively low price as well as the customisation options. I probably will buy a 27" 12-string baritone from them soon.

 

[Honch]

Take a look at any MTV "Unplugged" performance where acoustic instruments are featured and you'll see an abundance of mics and chords, not exactly your typical campfire acoustic setting...


BTW: Honch for VP!

Don't you think Eric Clapton or Hootie and the Blowfish can tour with a miked up upright? BTW I haven't heard much difference in piezo equipped ABGs and - say - a NS system solid body basses equipped with piezos, or those Lightwave system basses. They sound about the same. Providing low end. Mind you, I should say that I can't play or stand huge jumbo bodied acoustic guitars either, because they eat the elbow with their unwieldy and cumbersome body volumes and no bevel or soft edges or rounded countours. Afer 10 minutes I am fed up with them.

I find just that, you pointed out yourself. Contradictory. The catch 22 of the whole post you said. "Take a look at any MTV Unlplugged". Yes, that's the cause and culprit of it all, and that who started it all. I blame them (MTV) totally for this historic and semantic revisionist stance. Calling something unplugged when it wasn't. It was as unplugged as Kraftwerk. No more acoustic than Mahavishnu Orchestra. Sounded as electric as ever. Phil Woods quintet played acoustic completely form time to time. I liked that. Classical orchestras too, they don't need no f****n mikes. They have a bunch of uprights in there. I remember when they stopped called New Age music the "New Age Acoustic". They dropped the "acoustic" when they'd found out...

You may very well be better off with an Mexican Guitarron which can be miked up as well. It goes down to A, which is the limit for that one. Looks like you're wearing a wooden bath tub. Actually if Emerald or Rainsong releases something in CF like a Guitarron, I would be slightly more inclined...

A Baritone it is though..

 

[Honch]

THere are already and acoustic version of those. They're called upright.

Name me one other instrument that is:

Acoustic from the start on -> made an electric version of it -> made and acoustic version of that electric version....

If they were a place for them, they would've done so from the start on, before the electric. Just thinking "While we wait for the electricity we build a small carry-able guitar with huge body and 34" inch scale and slap some gut strings on them". Must be a great idea....

 

[GBassNorth]

Don't you think Eric Clapton or Hootie and the Blowfish can tour with a miked up upright?

I find just that, you pointed out yourself. Contradictory. The catch 22 of the whole post you said. "Take a look at any MTV Unlplugged". Yes, that's the cause and culprit of it all, and that who started it all. I blame them (MTV) totally for this historic and semantic revisionist stance. Calling something unplugged when it wasn't. It was as unplugged as Kraftwerk. No more acoustic than Mahavishnu Orchestra. Sounded as electric as ever. Phil Woods quintet played acoustic completely form time to time. I liked that. Classical orchestras too, they don't need no f****n mikes. They have a bunch of uprights in there. I remember when they stopped called New Age music the "New Age Acoustic". They dropped the "acoustic" when they'd found out...

You may very well be better off with an Mexican Guitarron which can be miked up as well. It goes down to A, which is the limit for that one. Looks like you're wearing a wooden bath tub. Actually if Emerald or Rainsong releases something in CF like a Guitarron, I would be slightly more inclined...

A Baritone it is though..

I'm sure Clapton and Hootie could tour with uprights and they probably would have had an equally good sound. However they chose not to because I assume - they could get an equally good sound for their style of music from a properly mic'd ABG. So other than being contrary, what's your point?

Other than a cozy live setting or a campfire sing along purely acoustic instruments rarely remain purely acoustic. Somewhere along the line if they are going to be recorded for larger audiences to hear and enjoy, a mic and or an amp is ultimately involved. Much to your surprise MTV didn't actually invent using a mic on an an acoustic, that little trick has been around as long as recorded music.

If the ABG format doesn't suit you that's cool. There are many upright bassists that wouldn't consider playing an electric upright and many acoustic guitar players that wouldn't consider playing an electric guitar. To each his own. Personally I think there's a place for a well executed Acoustic Electric Bass that gives the player the option to play unplugged when desired or play plugged in when desired. Combine that with a nice stable graphite build and you might have a hit on your hands within the niche AEB market.